All About Spelling Ultimate Guide {Review, Printables, & FAQ}

How do you teach your kids to spell when you don’t know the rules and doubt your own ability? When we started homeschooling several years ago, this question plagued me. I wanted more for my kids than list-based spelling – a method that hadn’t worked for me. After much research I chose All About Spelling, and I love that I am finally learning how to spell as I teach my children this skill.

Is All About Spelling right for you? Read this in-depth review, download free printables for each level, and find the answers you need.

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Estimated reading time: 19 minutes

All About Spelling Review
Free Printables for All About Spelling
Additional Resources for Each Level of All About Spelling
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion

All About Spelling Review

When I evaluate curriculum for our homeschool, I have several criteria that must be met. These include being easy to teach, being thorough, having reasonable expectations, and being affordable. High recommendations from others also help.

Easy to Teach

All About Spelling is easy to teach. Each step (lesson) is laid out clearly, and the New Teaching sections even provide a script for the teacher to follow. The beginning of each teacher’s manual shows how to prepare the spelling review box, how to organize the letter tiles, and explains new teaching methods introduced in that level.

Thorough

All About Spelling presents new teaching in logical chunks that don’t leave gaps. After teaching my own children with this program, I finally know why syllable division, syllable types, and accented syllables are important when it comes to spelling.

Reasonable Expectations

At first glance, All About Spelling may seem daunting because students are expected to learn so many phonograms. One phonogram from the Phonogram Sounds App that always stumps us is OUGH, which has six different sounds. Yet the Level 5 teacher’s manual actually made learning this phonogram optional and gave logical reasons for this exception. I appreciate that All About Spelling has reasonable expectations for students and teachers.

I also like that All About Spelling focuses on short teaching blocks. Teachers are encouraged to break a step into multiple days of teaching so as not to overwhelm the student’s funnel.

Continuous Review

Since All About Spelling is mastery-based, it incorporates continuous review into every step. The spelling review box with dividers makes this easy by separating phonogram cards, sound cards, key cards, and word cards into review, mastered, and future lessons sections. Review is not limited to the flashcards in the spelling review box. Other concepts like syllable types are reviewed on a regular basis too.

Flexible

The lesson plans in the teacher’s manuals are truly flexible. As the teacher, you get to decide how closely to follow the script, how much review is enough for your student, and how much practice is needed before moving on. If your child doesn’t want to throw rule breakers in jail, skip that extra activity. For the record my kids think it’s fun.

Responsive

The physical letter tiles are a major part of All About Spelling, but they can also be cumbersome to store and use. In response to requests for a better way, they created the Letter Tiles App, which works for both All About Spelling and All About Reading.

All About Spelling - Physical Letter Tiles for levels 1-5 with magnets on metal boards stored in a menu holder

Affordable

All About Spelling is affordable for our family. We buy the complete package for each level and then purchase student packs for younger siblings. We keep a separate spelling review box with spelling divider cards for each child.

All About Spelling offers a 1-year money-back guarantee for products purchased directly from their website. A unique bonus of ordering directly from All About Learning Press is the ability to request custom box art.

Recommended by Others

When I was researching spelling curriculum many years ago, I kept hearing positive things about All About Spelling. What really sold me was an endorsement from the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). IEW has its own auditory-based spelling curriculum for higher levels, but they recommend and sell All About Spelling for the earlier levels.

Free Printables for All About Spelling

Because I crave order and keep a portfolio for homeschool assessments, I created printables for each level of All About Spelling. These include blank worksheets for the Spell on Paper, More Words, Dictate Phrases, Dictate Sentences, Word Sort, and Writing Station sections of All About Spelling. These worksheets are completely optional as blank notebook paper will also suffice, but I much prefer their neat, clean look.

Level 1 Printable Download

Level 2 Printable Download

Level 3 Printable Download

Level 4 Printable Download

Level 5 Printable Download

Level 6 Printable Download

Level 7 Printable Download

At the beginning of each school year, I print all the worksheets we need for All About Spelling. I keep a 3-inch binder for each of my children with any worksheets/tests required for each of the subjects they are studying that year. Every week I move the worksheets we’ll be using that week to my children’s folders, and I put the completed worksheets back into their binders. At the end of the year, the teacher who does our portfolio assessments flips through these binders to assess each child’s progress.

Save to Pinterest: 7 Printables and Schedules for All About Spelling

Additional Resources for Each Level of All About Spelling

AAS Level 1

These are some of the concepts taught in All About Spelling Level 1. View the full scope and sequence of Level 1 here.

Phonograms
- The letters of the alphabet (a-z)
- Six consonant teams (th, sh, ch, ck, ng, nk)
- How to Teach Phonograms (includes links to phonogram games for additional practice)
Segmenting words (two sounds, three sounds, blends)
- Segmenting: A Critical Skill for Spelling (includes link to practice activity)

Vowels
- Short vowel sounds
  - A Handy Guide to Short Vowel Sounds
    - AAS Level 1 focuses on closed syllables – the first of the four ways to spell short vowel sounds.
    - Includes printable chart: Common Ways to Spell Short Vowels
  - 6 Tips to Help Distinguish Between Short I and Short E
    - Includes video explanation of pronunciation differences in regional areas and a practice activity.
- Long vowel sounds
  - A Handy Guide to Long Vowel Sounds
    - AAS Level 1 introduces open syllables – the first of the four ways to spell long vowel sounds.
    - Includes printable chart: Spelling Patterns for Long Vowels
Syllables
- Fun Ways to Count Syllables (includes downloadable activity)
- How to Teach Open and Closed Syllables (includes downloadable activity)
When to use c and when to use k for the initial sound of /k/
- The Kids’ Club Rule for Spelling (includes poster and sample lesson)

Compound words
- The Essential Guide to Teaching Compound Words (includes printable list of 501 compound words)
Plural words (when to use s or es)
- Spelling Rules for Making Words Plural (includes poster and sample lesson)

AAS Level 2

These are some of the concepts taught in All About Spelling Level 2. View the full scope and sequence of Level 2 here.

Phonograms
- Consonant team (wh)
- Vowel teams (ee, ou, oy, oi, aw, au, ow)
  - When Two Vowels Go Walking (why this rule is often wrong)
- The sound of /er/ (er)
- Other tiles (or, ar)
- How to Teach Phonograms (includes links to phonogram games for additional practice)
Dividing words into syllables (compound words, VCCV words, VCV words)
Silent E (Jobs 1-3)
- Silent E: Teaching Kids the Whole Truth (includes infographic listing the seven jobs of silent E and a few rule breakers)
Syllable Types (Open, Closed, VCE, Vowel Team, R-controlled)
Plural words (ending in Silent E)
The “Find Gold” Rule
Soft c and hard c
Soft g and hard g
English words don’t end in i, j, u, or v
How to Handle Spelling Rule Breakers

AAS Level 3

These are some of the concepts taught in All About Spelling Level 3. View the full scope and sequence of Level 3 here.

Phonograms
- Vowel teams (ay, ai, oa, oo, ea, igh, ey)
  - When Two Vowels Go Walking (why this rule is often wrong)
- The sound of /er/ (ur, ir)
- Other Tiles (ed)
- How to Teach Phonograms (includes links to phonogram games for additional practice)
Silent E (Jobs 1-5)
- Silent E: Teaching Kids the Whole Truth (includes infographic listing the seven jobs of silent E and a few rule breakers)
Syllable Types (C+l-e)
Homophones
- How to Teach Homophones
  - Includes downloadable files “The Big List of Homophones” and “Homophone Riddles and Puns”
- Explore Words with the Homophone Machine
  - Interactive game for creating silly sentences with homophones
- All About Homophones (print | ebook)
  - Optional workbook with additional practice
Suffixes
- How to Teach Suffixes
  - Includes printable with common suffixes and their meanings and several activities from All About Reading and All About Spelling for learning suffixes.
Contractions
- How to Teach Contractions
  - Includes sample lessons from All About Reading and All About Spelling, “Fun with Contractions” activity, and an “Alphabetical List of Contractions” PDF.

AAS Level 4

These are some of the concepts taught in All About Spelling Level 4. View the full scope and sequence of Level 4 here.

Phonograms
- Consonant teams (tch, dge, wr, kn, ph)
- Vowel teams(ew, ei, eigh, oe)
- The sound of /er/ (or, ear)
- The sound of /sh/ (ti)
- How to Teach Phonograms (includes links to phonogram games for additional practice)
Prefixes
- How to Teach Prefixes (Includes printable with 90 prefixes and their meanings)
Months of the year and common abbreviations
Spelling strategies
Numbers up to one hundred
Days of the week

AAS Level 5

These are some of the concepts taught in All About Spelling Level 5. View the full scope and sequence of Level 5 here.

Phonograms
- Consonant teams (gn)
- Vowel teams(ie, ough, ui)
- The sound of /er/ (our)
- The sound of /sh/ (si, ci)
- How to Teach Phonograms (includes links to phonogram games for additional practice)
Alphabetizing words to the second, third, and fourth letter
- How to Teach Alphabetizing (includes learning activities and advanced rules)
Dictionary skills
Adding two suffixes to a word; Doubling rule for adding vowel suffixes
- How to Teach Suffixes
  - Includes printable with common suffixes and their meanings and several activities from All About Reading and All About Spelling for learning suffixes.
Common holidays
I-Before-E Generalization
Additional spelling strategies
Plural words (ending in f, fe, o; irregular plurals)
- Spelling Rules for Making Words Plural (includes poster for rule and sample lesson)

AAS Level 6

These are some of the concepts taught in All About Spelling Level 6. View the full scope and sequence of Level 6 here.

Phonograms
- Consonant teams (mb, gu)
- Vowel team (augh)
- How to Teach Phonograms (includes links to phonogram games for additional practice)
Additional spelling strategies
Exceptions to the I-Before-E Generalization
Learn to spell words ending in {ain, ive, ture, ice, cle, cal, il, el, al, le, us, ous, ible, able, ate}
Adding suffix ly to C+le words

AAS Level 7

These are some of the concepts taught in All About Spelling Level 7. View the full scope and sequence of Level 7 here.

Whether to drop or keep silent E before adding a suffix
Latin Roots
- Teaching Latin Roots with Word Trees (includes “Word Trees” activity, and sample lesson from AAS Level 7)

Plural Latin words
Greek word parts
French, Spanish, and Italian loan words
Spelling strategies for lifelong learning
- What Happens After All About Spelling?

Frequently Asked Questions

Does All About Spelling teach phonics?

Yes, All About Spelling focuses on phonograms from the very first step in Level 1 and continues adding new phonograms through Level 6.

Read More: How to Teach Phonograms and Phonogram Sounds App

How does All About Spelling work?

All About Spelling is mastery-based and uses the Orton-Gillingham approach. Because it is mastery based, level numbers do not correlate to grade levels. Most students should begin with level 1 to ensure a firm spelling foundation.

Is All About Spelling open-and-go?

Yes, All About Spelling is pretty much open-and-go. Each step (lesson) provides a simple script to follow and instructions detailing what to do.

Before each school year begins, I do these three things to prepare.
(1) Set up the spelling review box and add new letter tiles.
(2) Print out the level-specific worksheets that I created.
(3) Use a pencil to divide each step in my teacher’s manual into teachable chunks.

How long does All About Spelling take?

This answer will vary, but the general recommendation is to do each step (lesson) in bite-sized chunks (~20 minutes) that don’t overflow your child’s funnel. I break each step into teachable chunks such that each step takes generally 2-4 days to complete.

In our homeschool, we choose to do one level per year even if we finish spelling earlier than other subjects. Rather than starting the next level right away, we continue to use our spelling review boxes to ensure mastery while we finish out the school year.

How do you teach All About Spelling?

Each step (lesson) is scripted and provides detailed instructions. Steps typically begin with review. This is followed by new teaching and reinforcement activities.

The idea is to review daily (if needed) and break up the new teaching into appropriately-sized chunks. For reinforcement activities like Dictate Sentences, we do a few each day rather than trying to do them all at once.

Use the teacher’s manual as a guide, but realize that you can still tailor each step for your child’s individual needs.

What do I need to buy to begin All About Spelling?

First, decide which level of All About Spelling to buy. Most students should begin with Level 1, but there is a placement test that can help you decide.

Then, add the Teacher’s Manual and Student Packet for that level to your cart. You can purchase these required resources as a set or individually. The Student Packet differs for each level but includes the spelling review cards, progress chart, stickers, and completion certificate along with any other charts, mini books, letter tiles, and lists required specifically for that level.

Next, decide if you would like to use physical letter tiles, the Letter Tiles App, or a combination of both.

If purchasing the physical letter tiles, you can either buy them individually or as part of a Spelling Interactive Kit. Note that if you already have a Reading Interactive Kit (from All About Reading), you do not need to buy an additional set of physical letter tiles.
If purchasing the Letter Tiles App, make sure your device supports the app. Smaller devices like phones do not have a large enough screen to run the app.

Finally, decide how you want to setup your spelling review box. You can purchase a spelling review box individually or as part of the Deluxe Spelling Interactive Kit, or you can create your own. No matter what you decide to use as your spelling review box, make sure you order the spelling divider cards. You can purchase these individually or as part of either Spelling Interactive Kit.

Who can use All About Spelling?

All About Spelling is a versatile program that works well in many different settings. We personally use it in our homeschool with three children in three different levels. Although All About Spelling works well in a one-on-one setting, it isn’t limited to this style of teaching.

All About Spelling also works for a variety of students regardless of their age, needs, or capabilities.

Is it possible to use All About Spelling in a classroom setting?

Yes, All About Spelling is currently used in many public and private school classrooms.

Read More: 12 Reasons Teachers Love All About Reading and All About Spelling – Scroll halfway down for “Tips for Using AAR and AAS in the Classroom.”

Can I use All About Spelling for older students?

Absolutely. Though I’m not a student anymore, I have greatly improved my spelling ability simply by teaching this program to my children. Even in Level 1, I picked up on spelling concepts that were completely new to me like open and closed syllables.

Since All About Spelling is a mastery program, you will likely still need to start at Level 1 for an older student, but you may be able to work through lessons at a faster pace. A placement test is available.

Will All About Spelling work for a student with dyslexia?

Yes, this program was developed by Marie Rippel because she needed a way to teach her son, who was diagnosed with severe dyslexia. Learn more about their story here.

Additional Resources:

Does All About Spelling work for students with dysgraphia?

Yes. All About Spelling can be completed without any handwriting.

Will All About Spelling help a student with autism?

Can I use All About Spelling to teach reading?

No, it doesn’t include decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, or reading practice.

All About Reading (AAR) is a separate program for teaching reading. Because we already had a reading program that worked when I came across All About Spelling (AAS), I have not tried All About Reading.

Read More: What’s the Difference Between AAR & AAS?

When should my child start All About Spelling?

You can start the program at any time, but your child should have some reading experience before beginning spelling.

If you are also using All About Reading (AAR), the general recommendation is to wait to start All About Spelling until after completing AAR Level 1.

Which level of All About Spelling should we start with?

Because All About Spelling is mastery-based, you should most likely begin with Level 1. A placement test is available.

Will my child know how to spell every word after completing all seven levels of All About Spelling?

No, but your child will have a strong foundation and a plan for how to continue learning to spell new words.

How do I organize All About Spelling?

Flashcards: I highly recommend purchasing the optional Spelling Divider Cards and the Spelling Review Box to store the flashcards used in daily review.

Letter Tiles: Even in Level 1, there are a lot of letter tiles, and these increase with each level. The teacher’s manuals recommend and many have had success with a 2’x3′ magnetic whiteboard for tile storage and organization.

When we began homeschooling, I didn’t have room for a large whiteboard devoted to letter tiles. I also didn’t want my younger children to play with and likely lose the tiles. Through Level 5, I was able to keep all the tiles on small metal boards stored in a 3-pocket menu holder. It works, but it’s heavy and still not ideal.

Starting with the 2020-21 school year, we purchased a tablet and the Letter Tiles App. The app worked well for us. I’ll keep our letter tiles on hand just in case we need them again, but our go-to method is now the app.

Other Resources: I store other pages in a folder for easy access. For those that are reusable, I usually laminate these for longevity.

Should I use the Letter Tiles or the Letter Tiles App?

This answer will likely depend on your student and your space limitations. We used the tiles for our first five years of AAS and switched to the Letter Tiles App during our sixth year. All of my children preferred the app over the tiles. Everything works just as shown in the video below although we sometimes find splitting the words into syllables difficult.

Read More:

Do I need to use the All About Homophones workbook?

The All About Homophones workbook (print|ebook) is completely optional. It emphasizes word usage rather than spelling. I purchased the digital version and choose to print the corresponding worksheet
when one is available for a set of homophones. Not all homophones covered in All About Spelling have corresponding worksheets.

I included a schedule for when I use the All About Homophones workbook in the printables for All About Spelling levels 3-7.

Read More: How to Teach Homophones

Conclusion

All About Spelling has been a great resource for our homeschool. I truly believe that my children will have much greater confidence in their spelling ability than I had. No matter how you teach spelling, I encourage you to check out the wealth of free resources from All About Learning Press.

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